The sheet on a crib for a small infant is usually changed several times a day. A conventional crib sheet is made from cotton or a blend of cotton and synthetic yarns and may be a fitted or contour sheet with pockets at the ends of the sheet to be fitted around the ends of the mattress, or a rectangular sheet with edge portions to be tucked under the mattress to present a smooth, comfortable upper surface of the sheet.
A crib mattress is surrounded by an enclosure defined by end panels and side rails which may extend eighteen inches or more above the mattress. It is necessary to lift portions of the mattress above the crib enclosure every time the sheet is changed in order to smooth the upper surface of the sheet by anchoring edge portions of the sheet under the mattress. The lifting of the mattress to install a clean sheet is frequently complicated by bumper pads resting on the edges of the mattress and tied to the sides of the crib. The lifting of the mattress is laborious and time consuming when done several times a day.
The crib sheet art has been concerned with protecting the baby from wrinkled sheets and from being uncovered but none of the crib sheet art, to applicant's knowledge at the time of filing the parent application, has been concerned with reducing the time and labor required to change the sheet on an infant's crib.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,026, issued Mar. 16, 1971 to Allison for BABY BED SHEET WITH REMOVABLE PANEL, was cited against claims in the parent application.
Allison is concerned with reducing the time and labor required to change the sheet on an infant's crib. Toward this end, Allison provides a contoured "retainer" 14, anchored to the mattress, and a removable panel 16 releasably connected as by zippers to the retainer 14.
The retainer 14 is shaped much like the well known contoured sheets which are used as the bottom sheet on many beds today, except that it has a large rectangular opening in the portion that covers the top surface of the mattress. The removable panel is generally rectangular in shape and is designed to cover the top portion of the mattress that is exposed after retainer 14 is installed on the mattress.
Allison explains that in many cases it is desired to use a quilted absorbent pad to protect the mattress and that, with the sheet of the Allison invention, such a pad may be placed over the top of the mattress with its edges inserted underneath the retainer before the removable panel is attached to the retainer.
As Allison explains, the removable panel may become soiled one or more times a day and, when soiled, the removable panel may be removed for cleaning by releasing the zippers and a clean removable panel connected to the retainer without disturbing the mattress. In fact, the mattress need not be disturbed unless the mattress is soiled because the removable panel was used without an absorbent pad. If an absorbent pad is used underneath the removable panel, the mattress will be protected and need not be disturbed, but the pad will be soiled with the removable panel and the soiled pad will have to be independently removed from the mattress for washing and a clean absorbent pad independently replaced on the mattress before assembling a clean removable panel or sheet to the retainer.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,963,739 issued June 19, 1914 to Engel for COVER FOR BABIES' BEDS shows the use of snap hooks to releasably connect a cover to the frame of a baby's bed. Engel teaches that the cover is spread the infant and fastened to the bed in such a manner that the cover "will remain in position regardless of the maneuvering of the child, so that the child will at no time become uncovered or exposed." (lines 63-65). Engel is concerned with protecting the child and is not concerned with making it easier to change a baby's crib sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,137 issued May 4, 1954 to Bergin for COMBINATION CRIB SHEET shows a crib sheet with upper and lower layers releasably held together along one side with a zipper which is opened to put the baby between the layers of the sheet and closed to keep the baby covered. The lower layer of Bergin's sheet includes pockets at its ends to fit over the ends of the mattress, making it necessary to lift both ends of the mattress, and making the Bergin sheet at least as difficult to change as a conventional sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,567,082 issued Sept. 4, 1951 to Shuster for BABY BLANKET COMBINATION shows a sheet extending over the edges and under and around each end of the mattress with a blanket detachably secured to the sheet by a zipper. Shuster says in Column 2, lines 22 and 23, that the sheet is "quickly and easily removed for changing and laundering", but the replacement of Shuster's sheet is at least as difficult and time consuming as the replacement of a conventional crib sheet because of the need to position the ends of Shuster's sheet under the mattress.
Other art shows the use of releasable fasteners on adult bedding. U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,323 issued Dec. 18, 1984 to Colburn for BED SHEETS WITH HOOK AND LOOP FASTENERS shows loop material on the longitudinal sides of a mattress and hook material on the inner longitudinal edges of top and bottom sheets. This arrangement is subject to the same objection as a conventional sheet for baby cribs because the sides of a crib mattress are covered by the crib enclosure and are not easily accessible for use of the hook and loop fasteners of Colburn. The sides of the crib mattress would have to be lifted above the enclosure similarly to the need for lifting the ends of the mattress when installing a conventional crib sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,832 issued Sept. 6, 1977 to DiFiorti et al. for FITTED SHEET CONSTRUCTION and U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,602 issued Mar. 20, 1979 to Fernandes for FLAT CONTOUR SHEET both show the use of hook and loop fasteners to be connected under the mattress. Again, these are subject to the same objection as the conventional sheet for use on a crib mattress because of the need to lift the mattress above the crib enclosure to fasten the hook and loop fasteners.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,466 issued Dec. 30, 1980 to Mendyk for SAFETY BED SHEET shows a sheet construction to prevent a child or adult from falling out of bed. The construction comprises a fitted bottom sheet and a superposed top sheet that is the same width as the bottom sheet's upper surface but is shorter than the bottom sheet. The top and bottom sheets are stitched together along one longitudinal edge of the top sheet and partially stitched together along the other longitudinal edge of the top sheet with a hook and loop fastener 23 providing a releasable connection along the remainder of the latter edge. The stitching prevents the top sheet from being removed from the bottom sheet so both sheets have to be removed for cleaning. The mattress must be lifted to put on the fitted bottom sheet, which makes the teaching of Mendyk subject to the same objection as conventional sheets for use on baby cribs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,943 issued July 4, 1978 to O'Connell for ABSORBENT PAD shows adhesive strips along the longitudinal edges of an incontinence pad. The adhesive strips are releasably fastened to the bedding beneath an incontinent patient to hold the pad in place. The incontinence pad is not a part of the bedding and is discarded after a single use, no provision being made for continued use. This teaching is inappropriate for quick-change crib sheets.